Country singer Ella Langley topples Mariah Carey in stunning upset; 'Choosin' Texas' sets Billboard Hot 100 record

20-something newcomer shakes up mainstream pop

A gentle country song by a woman in her 20s has toppled Mariah Carey, the "Queen of Christmas," from her seemingly impregnable throne and set a new milestone in pop history.

Billboard officially announced in a chart-preview article on the 22nd that Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" had reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the latest Hot 100, the magazine's main singles chart. The song has now spent 23 nonconsecutive weeks at the top, setting a remarkable new record.

That surpasses the 22-week record for the longest run at No. 1, previously held by Mariah Carey's megahit Christmas carol "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994). The achievement came on the Hot 100, which combines streaming, radio airplay and song sales, at a time when Black music and K-pop have been dominant on the chart.

Langley, who was born in Alabama in 1999, was an unknown singer who had remained outside the public spotlight until recently. But "Choosin' Texas", which first entered the chart on Nov. 1 last year, began climbing the rankings through word of mouth among listeners and finally reached No. 1 for the first time in February this year.

Experts cite the deep nostalgia unique to the American South as a key factor behind the song's explosive success. Metaphors woven throughout the lyrics, including two-step dancing, Jack Daniel's whiskey, Memphis blues and cowboys, strongly appeal to Southern pride. Analysts say the song cleverly taps into the understated rivalry between Texas and Tennessee through the story of a man torn between women from the two states.

Some have dubbed Langley the "next Taylor Swift," but the two artists' trajectories are sharply different. Swift has voiced progressive views, including publicly endorsing Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, while Langley is rapidly emerging as an icon of conservative values.

The British daily Telegraph wrote that "although Langley has not expressed an overt political orientation, she has embraced a traditional 'redneck' identity by avidly reading the Bible and enjoying horseback riding, winning fervent support from America's conservative Southern base."